Lock or latch mechanism



M. O. GQLDSMlTH LOCK OR LATCH MECHANISM Sept. 20 1938.

Filed May 14, 1937 FiGl INVENTOR Maw/52a a/a S'mlfii' BY %ATVTZZRNEY Patented Sept. 20, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to alock or latch mechanism for boxes, bags and other types of receptacles, particularly typesin which the device is opened and closed always by the same general type of movement.

More particularly the invention relates to hand bags and particularly womens' hand bags in which the opening ends are hinged together.

The object of the present invention is to provide a locking means in a hand bag such thatit 'may easily and readily be closed with a single motion, but difficult to open for a person other than the person who has the hand bag in hand.

The present invention may be embodied with a special secret locking means or be used without the same. If the special locking means is used, this is so placed that it will cooperate with the rest of the mechanism to allow the bag to be opened easily only by the person holding the' bag and knowing how to operate it.

The bag in the present invention is opened solely by pulling up the clasp at the top of the bag or by grasping the bag at the top while pulling up the clasp, but in either case, this must be done positively and as some friction is provided it is not possible to do it except if the bag is properly grasped in which case a person holding the bag, if he is not the one pulling the top, will feel a positive, tug even if the bag should open.

However if the pull is not in the right direction,

the knob will not move nor the bag open. Practical use has shown that it is quite difficult to open the bag of the present invention.

In the present invention the lock or latch mech- 5 anism may not be closed until the bag is closed and the bag cannot be opened again until the latch mechanism is opened. There is therefore obtained a positive locking means that is not dependent upon any spring element.

40 The present invention will be more fully described in connection with the drawing in which:

Figure 1 shows the device as applied to a bag with a section taken through the center of the 45 locking mechanism.

Figure 2 shows the mechanism of Figure 1 with the bag in a closed position.

Figure 3 shows a section on the line 33 of Figure 2.

50 Figure 4 is a detailed View looking from the right of Figure 1, and

Figure 5 shows a detail modification in which the extra locking means cooperates with the latching bar.

5 The mechanism provides a fixed bracket or plate element l with side extending flanges 2 and a pivoted plate 3 having side flanges 4, the side flanges 2 and 4 serving to hold the pivoting pin 5 which bridges across from one bearing to the other as indicated in Figure 3. The plate 3 is so 5 pivoted as will be noted in Figure 1, that its lower end comes in contact with the plate I. A coiled spring 6 is placed around the pin 5 and has its two ends l and 8 lying respectively against the plate 3 and the plate I or in a groove or slot cut 10 in it so that normally the plates 3 and I are held relatively in the position shown in Figure 1. Working against the plate I in a vertical motion as indicated in Figure 1 is the latching or looking plate or bar 9, face view of which is indicated 15 in Figure 4. This locking plate or bar moves within. the guides iii and BI formed in the plate 5 which hold the locking plate or bar 3 always in position for up and down motion. The bar 9 as indicated in Figures 1 and 3 is slotted and has 20 portions which are curved around the lower side of the pin. 5 and then extend in a slightly inclined direction upwards towards the vertical piece of the bar 9 ending in arched elements I 2 and I3 which do not quite meet the vertical por- 25 tions of the bar making it impossible to pull the bar 9 upwards or push it downwards beyond the limited point of motion established by the closed portions of the arched pieces i2 and it. The inclined portions of these arched members indi- 30 cated as it in Figure 1, as they are forced downward urge the upper edge of the plate 3 to the left in Figure 2 so that when the bag is closed as indicated in the figure this portion M will press the plate 3 against the left side of the recess 22 maintaining the flap l8 closed. It will also be noted that as the latch 9 is forced down- Ward in the direction of the arrow IS, the portion I4 would contact the plate 3 in the position shown in Figure l and that since the plate 3 at its end is already in contact at the plate l and cannot therefore move any further, it is impossible to force the bar 9 down any further. The only way in which the bar 9 may be forced down is in closing the bag by moving the flap 18 to- Wards the flap Hi. When these two are brought together, the plate 3 is rotated about the pin 5, the end of the plate 3 designated as 20 coming up under the shoulder 2! at the top of the open bag flap i8 and finally positioning itself when the bag is closed in the recess 22. It will be noted that this positioning is possible since the radius of rotation of the back flap I8 is much greater than that of the flap 3 and therefore 3 moves up and down faster than the flap l8. When the bag is in its closed position, the bottom of the plate 3 has been moved out of the way of the slightly inclined portion I4 of the plate 9 so that the plate 9 may be forced downward and assume the position shown in Figure 2.

In Figure 5 which shows a modified detail of an element cooperating with the bar or plate 9, there is a button 40 mounted on a pin 4| positioned in a hole 42 in the plate I. At the inner side of the plate the pin is turned over at its edge to form a head 43 which is worked in a recess 44 of the plate I. The bar 9 is provided with a hole 45 in which there is a pin 46, at the inner end of which is fastened a leaf spring 41 or other suitable spring means forcing the pin 46 out at the left beyond the surface of the bar 9 into the recess 44 and against the head 43.

When the bag is to be opened, the person will press the button 4|] in, thus aligning the pin 46 with the surface of the bar 9 so the bar 9 may be raised. Otherwise the pin 46 will come against the top of the recess 44 and prevent the bar 9 from being pulled up.

The bar 9 may be provided with an angle 30 at its top on which is mounted a decorative element 3| of any description or type.

As has been stated above the locking mechanism may be applied to any type of receptacle, but is particularly useful in hand bags and pocket books that are closed by a flap having a hinged element. 1

As a necessary part of the combination in the present invention, the flap or hinged element of the bag must have a longer radius of curvature than the pivoted bar or latching element so that the latter will clear the top near the edge of the flap and come to rest when closed in the recess in the top edge of the flap element.

Having now described my invention, I claim:-

1. In combination with a bag having a stationary jaw and a movable jaw operating in a substantially arched fashion, a locking device comprising a pair of metal plates, means pivoting said plates to one another, spring means maintaining said jaw normally opened at the top, a bar, means guiding said bar between said jaws, said bar having a portion curving under said pivot and extending upwards and contacting the inner face of said jaw, said portion being a spring element and positioned to contact one of said jaws as it is moved downward and force the open ends of the jaws together against a recess formed in the top edge of the relatively movable jaw of the bag.

2. In combination with a bag having an arched frame element and a relatively movable frame element, the two elements coming in contact with each other to close the bag and the movable element moving in a substantially arched fashion, a locking device comprising a pair of pivoted jaws, a spring element maintaining said jaws normally pivoted at the top, means mounting one of said jaws rigidly against the stationary frame of said bag, a bar formed with a portion arched beneath the pivot of the jaws and adapted to move up and down between said jaws for bringing the top end of the normally opened jaws closer together, said bar having the portion furthest from the fixed jaw of spring material and inclined to a vertical angle sufficient to press the end or the movable jaw against the inner side of the movable frame to maintain the frames in a closed position.

3. In combination with a bag having a relatively stationary frame and a pivoted frame adapted to come together at their edges to form a closed bag, a locking means comprising a pair of pivoted jaws, means mounting one jaw rigidly on the fixed frame of the bag, spring means maintaining the other jaw inclined to the first jaw with the jaws apart at their upper edge, a bar having a wedge element adapted to pass between said jaws when the jaws have been moved in substantially a parallel relationship one to the other and means operative from the side of said frame formaintaining said bar in its downward position, said means comprising an element engaging said bar and said frame and means operative from the side of said frame for disengaging said element with said frame.

4. In combination with a bag having a relatively stationary frame and a relatively movable flap, locking means having securing elements adapted to be operated to hold the frame in a closed position including a bar operative from the top of the frame to effect operation of the securing element, means including a pin passing through said bar and engaging said frame in said closed position and means for releasing said engaging means comprising a button and pin operated thereby mounted at the side of said frame opposite and positioned to come in engagement with said bar.

MAURICE O. GOLDSMITH. 

